Sharpsteen Museum Presents Author Bruce Bradley

Local Boy Makes Good
Author Bruce Bradley has kindly agreed to participate in a book signing and meet the author event at the Sharpsteen Museum. A brief lecture will begin at noon, followed by a question and answer period. Bradley will be on hand until 1:30 p.m. to autograph copies of "Hugh Glass" which will be available for purchase for $14.95 (10 percent less for members).

The local author is widely considered an expert on the true history of Hugh Glass. Most recently, Bradley was interviewed by True West Magazine and featured in an article entitled "13 Things The Movie The Revenant Got Wrong," which was in reference to a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and based on the life of Hugh Glass, released earlier this year.

Little did Glass know what his life would inspire; a variety of movies have used pieces of his life, with the most recognized being the Robert Redford film "Jeremiah Johnson."

Currently residing in Nevada City, Bradley lived, worked and continued to write during his more than 20 years living in Calistoga. His book titles are numerous, including "Seeds of Darkness" and "The Last Jaguar," with the event's celebrated title "Hugh Glass" inspired by Bradley's youth growing up in Alaska.

A Hero Brought to Life
The true story of mountain man, fur trapper and pathfinder, Hugh Glass is brought to life in a book of the same name authored by Bradley. Glass was born in the late 1700s and had lived most of his 37 years as a normal seaman, but in 1817 his ship was captured and he was given the choice to join a pirate crew or die. From that moment on, his life became an adventure that ranged from the edges of the Caribbean to the heart of the American wilderness.

Mauled by an enraged grizzly, then robbed and left to die by his comrades hundreds of miles from civilization, "Hugh Glass" is the story of one man whose will to live despite all odds is a testimony to anyone who ever had to face peril and adversity.

Working for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in the early 1800s, Glass became so knowledgeable of the Great Basin, Missouri territories and west to California that he was often used as a scout. His familiarity and friendship with many of the Indian tribes throughout the area's wilderness were paramount to the success and livelihood of the fur trappers.

During this period, he met and worked alongside other early pioneer figures such as Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith and Caleb Greenwood. Greenwood himself settled for a time during the late 1800s in Calistoga, hence the naming of Greenwood Avenue.

Pioneer Geo. C. Yount, who had met and befriended Hugh Glass, once wrote of him: "In point of adventure, dangers, and narrow escapes; and capacity for endurance, and the sufferings which befell him, this man Hugh Glass was pre-eminent. He was bold, daring, reckless, and eccentric to a high degree but was nevertheless a man of great talents and intellectual as well as bodily power."

Meet The Author
Bradley's personal history is nearly as exciting as that of Hugh Glass. Bradley was never a man of the sea, nor was he mauled by a bear, but growing up in Alaska seemed to set him on a trail of his own, one that he continues to this day.

Aside from being an accomplished author of various titles, he is a screenwriter, actor, private investigator, bartender, adventurer, explorer and outdoorsman. He has also been a Napa Valley winemaker and much more.

Please join The Sharpsteen Museum in hosting this accomplished writer of "Hugh Glass". Learn about a piece of time in this country when the mountain men were known as the bravest of them all. The museum warmly welcomes visitors to come to this event that is too good to miss.

Want to find more events like this? Please visit http://sharpsteenmuseum.com/ for a complete list of upcoming events at The Sharpsteen Museum.

About Sharpsteen Museum:
The Sharpsteen Museum's permanent exhibits are designed to present the history of the upper Napa Valley from its pre-history to post-World War I with an emphasis on people and changes brought by the period of U.S. emigration and development.

In addition to its many historical exhibits, the museum uses unique and extraordinarily extensive dioramas to depict Calistoga during its period as the elegant 1860s Hot Springs resort developed by pioneer, promoter, publisher, entrepreneur, and California's first millionaire, Sam Brannan. Sharpsteen Museum has special exhibits which change twice a year, every six months, and reflect the varied interests of the people of the Valley. They have ranged from antique silverware to model ships to historical musical instruments.